Page 143 of Savior
“You’re such a cryptic fuck lately.” Viking grumbles at me.
“Let me see Axel, make sure the kid’s alright for myself. Then I want everyone in the War Room. Mandatory.”
“Everyone’s already here.” Viking says. “Viper’s Old Lady went into labor tonight, too. Everyone was already here when I brought Axel.”
“Shit, did she have the baby?”
“Not yet. Been texting Viper updates on Axel, he’s concerned, but since the kid’s okay he ain’t leaving Rosita’s side.”
“Fuck no, I don’t blame him.” I know I’ll be a wreck when it’s Vanna’s time to give birth. Scared shitless and excited at the same time. No way I’d leave her side either. I’m sure Axel understands. “Vanna’s here too?” I ask, grabbing my cellphone to check. I do have a missed text from both Viper and Vanna. She is here. The tracking app I have on her phone confirms it as well.
“And her sister.” Viking says. “They’re with Cherry. Do Vanna a favor and at least rinse your damn face off before you see her.” He shakes his head at me again as we walk into the hospital.
I make a pit stop in the men’s room to rinse out the cut on my temple that bled into my eye. I rinse out my eye as well, wiping away the dried blood down the side of my face and neck with a wet paper towel. Quickly inspecting the cut now that it’s clean, it’s already stopped bleeding. And it’s only an inch long. I don’t think I’ll need stiches.
When I enter the waiting room, my crew really is in full attendance. Even the prospects. I spot Vanna immediately, her hand holding Cherry’s as she tries to comfort her. They’re seated between Chopper and Diesel, two big burly men that make the two women seem even more delicate by comparison. Giuliana is across the room on her cellphone, hopefully making arrangements for a ride back to the airport.
Making my way up to Vanna and Cherry, I kneel before them and place my hand atop their already joined hands.
Vanna’s eyes instantly widen as she looks at me. “Oh my god, what happened to you?”
“I’m fine. Doesn’t hurt.” I try to brush it off as best I can, hoping to ease her worry. “I’ve always been a quick healer. Punk just dazed me for a moment. If there’s one thing I can take well, it’s a fucking punch.” She gives me one of her half-hearted frowns, and I shift my attention to Cherry. “Cherry, baby… I’m sorry.” I say softly to her.
Her watery emerald eyes lift to meet mine. “It’s not your fault, Dean. I know he chose to do this. I know you couldn’t have talked him out of it.”
“He wasn’t going to fight that last guy. He actually did listen to me. The fucker pulled a knife on him when he wasn’t looking.” I try to keep my tone steady, to keep the growl out of my voice as that scene of Axel bleeding and sinking to his knees, plays over in my mind. “Have they let you in to see him yet?”
“Before they took him in to sew him up. The cops are with him now.”
I simply nod as I listen. You get blacklisted from every circuit if you ever talk to the cops about incidents that happen in these rings. Axel knows this. “What is he saying to them?”
Cherry shrugs meekly. “That he was out for a jog and some thugs tried to lift his wallet. They had on masks and gloves. Stuck him and ran off when he refused to hand it over.”
Patting her dainty hand, I try to comfort her. “Axel is a tough kid. He’s alright.” She nods in agreement.
My eyes shift to Vanna’s once more. It isn’t hard to decipher the worry in them, or the reason why it’s there staring back at me. Axel was stabbed, like I had been. Fortunately, the blade didn’t hit anything vital, and the trip to the hospital was short. But this also happened at an underground fight. Vanna doesn’t have to say what she’s thinking. It’s written clearly on her face. These are the chances we take. The dangers we gamble on in these circuits. Her eyes lower from mine and settle on her lower abdomen. Again, her words aren’t needed to convey her concerns to me. She’s wrong in assuming I sustained the cut near my eye in the ring, though, it’s a fair assumption on her part. I can’t fault her. Not after Myrtle Beach. She’s right for taking issue with it. We have a baby coming. For her and our child, I need to do better.
When I get to see Axel, he’s all smiles, sitting up in his hospital bed, telling me they’re discharging him tonight with antibiotics to take for the next two weeks. I warn him that he better lay off this shit until he’s healed, maybe rethink the whole underground fighting idea all together, before I head up to the maternity ward and make a pit stop to see Viper and Rosita. She hasn’t had the baby yet, and I feel out of place going into the room to actually see her, so I shoot him a text to step out for a moment if he can. God forbid I walk into that room and accidently catch a glimpse of her disrobed in any capacity. Viper would take my fucking eyes out.
We exchange a quick hug and I offer my congratulations and best wishes for Rosita and the baby. After giving him the quick, cryptic run-down of what happened with Axel, the bike chase, the murder van, I head back down to trauma where our crew is dominating the waiting room.
Viking is standing by the elevator when I step out. “Have everyone meet in the Chapel. I’ll fill you in, there.” I tell him. “There aren’t any cameras in the Chapel we need to worry about.”
“Roger that.” Viking nods, veering off to tell the others.
I approach Vanna once more, sliding my hand to the small of her back and escorting her away from her sister. I want to have a word with her in relative privacy. Before I can speak, Vanna does.
“I need to tell you something. But I don’t want you flipping out.” She nearly whispers, tucking herself up against me. She glances at her sister, who is standing across the room with the prospects.
I shift my gaze towards her for a moment, wondering if this has anything to do with Giuliana. She’s watching us together. Acting like she’s into whatever one of the prospects is going on about. No doubt some war story portraying himself as a badass in hopes of impressing her. She’s watching Vanna and I, more intently than she probably intends for me to notice.
I glance back down at Vanna. “What is it?”
“My sister and I stopped at a pub for a quick bite to eat. When she went up to pay, our meal had already been covered. The cashier said it was a tall man with a trim build, wearing a leather jacket and hoodie. They said he kept his head down and left enough cash for a tip as well. He intentionally didn’t let them get a look at him, and left right away.” She peers up at me, as if she expects me to blow a gasket or something. “I don’t think it was just a coincidence, that description matches he who shall not be named.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences, doll.” I growl. “Not anymore.” Not after everything that’s gone on since Legion rolled into town. I know he’s connected to what happened to Axel tonight, whether it was retaliation for the prostitution and drug busts, or part of his plan all along, I don’t know. And though Vanna would probably see Legion paying for her meal with her sister, as a fucking nice thing, I see it for what it really is. Another threat. He’s taunting me. Letting me know he could have had her again, had he so desired.
Capturing her chin gently between my thumb and forefinger, I tilt her face up to place a kiss against her lips. “I want you home.”
